Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
At 5:50 p.m. on May 9, 2015, with the workday wrapping up, a transformer exploded at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester, New York, 50 miles north of Manhattan. The sprinkler systems triggered, and emergency response crews scrambled, working to keep the fire from reaching the nuclear installation just 200 yards away. The […]
The 2019-2020 flu season appears to be off to an early start, though we’re a long way off from the peak, which is typically hits in February. This can be a high-risk period for workers in healthcare facilities where sick people may be streaming in because of an extensive community outbreak. Healthcare employers are required […]
It’s a facility owner’s worst nightmare. Last night, the news covered a possible storm headed your way. Rain and hail were in the forecast, but the strong winds were not. After a tree falls on part of your facility, the power cuts out and dangerous chemicals spill.
To accompany their article, University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy’s online Executive Master of Urban Planning program put together an infographic that takes a look at some longitudinal data regarding wildfire intensity and severity. In accordance with these increases, the data highlight the exponential increase in the cost to fight each fire, […]
After a natural disaster, you may be dealing with a lot of debris at your facility, whether it be generated from damage to the buildings themselves or to the property surrounding them—and cleanup is costly and time consuming. The EPA has reissued its debris guide that places stronger emphasis on pre-incident planning for disaster-related waste […]
Hurricanes present wide-ranging hazards for facility managers and their teams to navigate during and after they strike populated areas and critical infrastructures.
In the 20+ years I have been engaged in helping organizations develop and maintain their risk management framework, I have come to understand that risk assessment is the backbone.
Disasters are, for the most part, unpredictable, but there are steps that you can take that will improve your chances to survive and get back in business faster. Some of these measures require purchases while others can be completed in-house with the staff and materials at hand.
The best time to reevaluate (or create) your disaster plan is before an emergency occurs. You never know when a disaster will strike and how it will affect your facility. The key is to be prepared, and the best way to be prepared is to periodically review, reevaluate, and appropriately adapt or change your plan.
Red Ball Drills® are a unique emergency preparedness method that make real-time training more productive and less traumatic. While it is primarily associated with active shooter training, its uses can extend into many areas of facilities management—a “red ball” can signify any preparedness situation, from equipment failure to natural disasters to physical or cybersecurity threats.